Bendor Range
Encyclopedia
The Bendor Range is a small but once-famous subrange of the Pacific Ranges
of the Coast Mountains
, about It is approximately 7,000 square kilometres (2,700 mi²) in area and about 40 km long (NW to SE) and about 18 km at its widest. It lies between Anderson Lake on the southeast and the Carpenter Lake
Reservoir or the Bridge River Power Project
on the north, with the gold-rich valley of Cadwallader Creek on its southwest.
The range's western flank is the site of a series of now-semi-abandoned mining towns. One of these, Bralorne
, is among the deepest mines in Canada and in its heyday was the third-richest gold mine in the world; it has waned from a peak population of 8,000 to less than 300 today. Its shafts plunge a mile beneath sea level under the range, starting at 3500' above. The name "Bendor" is believed by some locally to be a Gaelic-French hybrid - ben d'or - mountain of gold (note Welsh: Pen d'awr means the same thing) - and while it does mean that, more or less, the name was conferred in honour of a famous racehorse of the 1890s.
The range has only a few small icefields, but a number of extremely high and (for climbers) difficult peaks. The highest is Whitecap Mountain 2918 m (9573 ft), which is visible from the Lillooet
end of Seton Lake
but, as it is located near the heart of the range, invisible from the towns and lakes around its perimeter. At the northwest of the range, but mostly invisible from the towns below because of the terrain of its flanks, is Mount Truax 2870 m (9416 ft). East of it are Mount Williams 2775 m (9104 ft) and Mount Bobb 2821 m (9255 ft).
Note: some classification systems assign the Bendor to the Chilcotin Ranges
subgrouping of the Pacific Ranges
, but this is incorrect as it is on the south side of the Bridge River
, which is the limit of the Chilcotin Ranges
.
Pacific Ranges
The Pacific Ranges are the southernmost subdivision of the Coast Mountains portion of the Pacific Cordillera. Located entirely within British Columbia, Canada, they run northwest from the lower stretches of the Fraser River to Bella Coola, north of which are the Kitimat Ranges.The Pacific Ranges...
of the Coast Mountains
Coast Mountains
The Coast Mountains are a major mountain range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges, of western North America, extending from southwestern Yukon through the Alaska Panhandle and virtually all of the Coast of British Columbia. They are so-named because of their proximity to the sea coast, and are often...
, about It is approximately 7,000 square kilometres (2,700 mi²) in area and about 40 km long (NW to SE) and about 18 km at its widest. It lies between Anderson Lake on the southeast and the Carpenter Lake
Carpenter Lake
Carpenter Lake, officially Carpenter Lake Reservoir, is the largest of the three reservoirs of the Bridge River Power Project, which is located in the mountains west of Lillooet, British Columbia...
Reservoir or the Bridge River Power Project
Bridge River Power Project
The Bridge River Power Project is a hydroelectric power development in the Canadian province of British Columbia, located in the Lillooet Country between Whistler and Lillooet...
on the north, with the gold-rich valley of Cadwallader Creek on its southwest.
The range's western flank is the site of a series of now-semi-abandoned mining towns. One of these, Bralorne
Bralorne, British Columbia
Bralorne is an historic underground gold mining community in the Bridge River District, some sixty dirt road miles west of the town of Lillooet.-Background:...
, is among the deepest mines in Canada and in its heyday was the third-richest gold mine in the world; it has waned from a peak population of 8,000 to less than 300 today. Its shafts plunge a mile beneath sea level under the range, starting at 3500' above. The name "Bendor" is believed by some locally to be a Gaelic-French hybrid - ben d'or - mountain of gold (note Welsh: Pen d'awr means the same thing) - and while it does mean that, more or less, the name was conferred in honour of a famous racehorse of the 1890s.
The range has only a few small icefields, but a number of extremely high and (for climbers) difficult peaks. The highest is Whitecap Mountain 2918 m (9573 ft), which is visible from the Lillooet
Lillooet, British Columbia
Lillooet is a community on the Fraser River in western Canada, about up the British Columbia Railway line from Vancouver. Situated at an intersection of deep gorges in the lee of the Coast Mountains, it has a dry climate- of precipitation is recorded annually at the town's weather station,...
end of Seton Lake
Seton Lake
Seton Lake is a freshwater fjord draining east via the Seton River into the Fraser River at the town of Lillooet, British Columbia, about 22 km long and 243 m in elevation and 26.2 square kilometres in area...
but, as it is located near the heart of the range, invisible from the towns and lakes around its perimeter. At the northwest of the range, but mostly invisible from the towns below because of the terrain of its flanks, is Mount Truax 2870 m (9416 ft). East of it are Mount Williams 2775 m (9104 ft) and Mount Bobb 2821 m (9255 ft).
Note: some classification systems assign the Bendor to the Chilcotin Ranges
Chilcotin Ranges
The Chilcotin Ranges are a subdivision of the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains . They lie on the inland lea of the Pacific Ranges, abutting the Interior Plateau of British Columbia...
subgrouping of the Pacific Ranges
Pacific Ranges
The Pacific Ranges are the southernmost subdivision of the Coast Mountains portion of the Pacific Cordillera. Located entirely within British Columbia, Canada, they run northwest from the lower stretches of the Fraser River to Bella Coola, north of which are the Kitimat Ranges.The Pacific Ranges...
, but this is incorrect as it is on the south side of the Bridge River
Bridge River
The Bridge River is, or was, a major tributary of British Columbia's Fraser River, entering that stream about six miles upstream from the town of Lillooet.-Name:Its name in the Lillooet language is Xwisten , sometimes spelled Nxwisten or Nxo-isten)...
, which is the limit of the Chilcotin Ranges
Chilcotin Ranges
The Chilcotin Ranges are a subdivision of the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains . They lie on the inland lea of the Pacific Ranges, abutting the Interior Plateau of British Columbia...
.